Butché's West Coast Lost Tour 08

is under construction 		El Butche Bikeography

This is the one and only el Butche.

The "idea's man".

(they just aren't always good ones)

Here's the play by play of the tour.
Traditional picture before departing.border to coast to border couple small stops to make. (forgot my passport at the shop) dinner with wife and son then blast for tulsa to get a hair down the road.

7000 miles + or -

15 states + or -

3 countries

1 ocean

i'll keep posting pictures and stories as i see 'em. 1st leg - Tulsa or Albuquerque depends if i leave tonight or at 4:30am tomorrow like the original plan. 2nd leg Phoenix. 3rd Yuma 4th Salton Sea 5th San Fernando 6th Walnut Creek (by san francisco) from there i pick up with some other weasels from here that left a week earlier than i did and road straight to LV and are still there (so they must be winning LOL) on over to Sturgis and then to Canada over to Minneapolis and home. Anyway...

If you see a guy in orange laying on the side of the road... stop and give me a beer.

anyone wants to pick up a leg with me or whatever shoot me a line. i got free commemorative beer huggies i had printed at my shop. all ya gotta do is ask.. got a few thongs too but i'd rather not share them with you guys.

Butche


alrighty guys.. made Alba Quirkey. 900 miles done. 21 hours. ate at the 72 oz steak place in ArmAdilla tx quick shower. going out with old high school friends may drop a domminican cigar in trent's mail box on the way out of town.. if he wants one.

guess i should ask before i blast. but gotta get for now. Butche

all right kidos...for those following. now in Pe HON exx (capitol of Arizona) got lost a hair in this flippin town.. they got more than one loop with the same numbers here and dont mark streets well.... pist me off good last night.

stopped and saw the atomic compound before i left AlbQ Trent should charge admission to see his shit. good conversatation. incredible work. great coffee. in a word.... the shop, the person, the work, all of it. Flawless. gonna have to make it a point to stop out here more often. took a couple of picts there but wont share them. his shop. i wont share the secrets i saw there. that is up to him. still.. the next atomic in line.. i CANT wait to see finished. guy has ideas on how to make what the world finds crap to be cool better that anyone you ever met. he just gets it in my book. just fucking gets it.

dont care who you are.. the distance between the two (albQ and Phnx) is more than 420 miles.

took a half muscle relaxer for the back that hit me a lil more than i planned on a empty stomach and rode at 65 in a 75 across the states just looking. if you ever get the chance to slow down and not have to make time I HIGHLY suggest the 377 out of halobrook. took some pix there. just after getting out of the rain. great abandon road. no traffic. just you and badlands. rode through some shit ass rain. slowed me down a lot. from grant to holbrook. big ol drops that felt like hail on my burnt knoggin. suit up. suit down suit up suit down. pist me off quit a bit. couple a pix added. one is of the divide where i stopped one of many times to suit up and down and the other is getting just out of the rain. in the back.. is the "NICE" cloud".. they were black as a missouri tornado at some points.

hitting mexico tonight or tomorrow. need to change oil and shit.. may take a day off here. (i aint 25 anymore ya know) anyway... after i blast here... tomorrow or what ever.. LA get ready here come the Butche...


UGH. tired and HOT. laying in motel 6 in Indio CA. the day didnt start so well as when leaving Phoenix i lost the dipstick for the transmission. i rode back to geppetto's place and as we were on the way to the dealership to get a new one he saw it. lucky break. and off i go again. hit Gila Bend. very cool little town. didnt take any pictures but still i liked it. very classic 50's route 66 feel. though no where close to it. stopped in Dateland and ate at a nice little 50's route 66 cafe. it was neat. they were nice and it was good food. i suggest it if you get out that way. same route 66 feel. i made many stops today. the temps i saw were up to 105-115 (love the old banks signs to make you feel hotter LOL) road on into Yuma from Dateland and stopped at the dealership there to ask the best place to cross. they thought i was crazy for riding across but that was the point.they just kept saying WALK. i kept saying. That isnt the point. so i just said. where is the best place to cross? sometimes people just dont get adventure. they sent me to a place just west of Yuma in Cali. Los Algodones. rode in and made a left turn. kinda rode around a bit but not too much as i really didnt want to get lost. skipped the idea of a beer and taco. (billdozer suggestion) hot food just didnt sound too good right then. then i went and got in line to cross back and thought to myself.. DAMN i am going to sit in this heat and the bike is gonna die. i kept turning it off and on. then i started thinking. billdozer told me i could whiteline it to the front. what the hell was i doing waiting for 2-3 hours in the sun. as soon as i remembered this a little girl in the car infront of me got out and came back to tell me.. motorcycles dont have to wait in line. they go to the front. i thanked her and off i went. i dont think it was too appericated but screw them.. at this moment.. it was hot and so was the bike. i was drinking as much water as i could and it was just pouring out of me like i was a bucket without a bottem. it wasnt so bad if you were moving it was SITTING that was murder. texted my wife when i was in mexico to tell my boy Cole daddy finally did it. el Butche rode to mexico. like i always said i would. anyway. i crossed.. I continued across the desert. stopped to see the sand dunes they were impressive. headed out to El Centralo and then up to Nialand I hoped to see Slab City but never saw anything of it so.. i guess it is hidden. as i was heading up to joshua tree the shift linkage fell apart. i was lucky that it happened right at a border patrol stop and they loaned me tools and gave me water. nice guys. they thought i was crazy too. guess i looked hot.they kept saying Missouri? why are you out here? LOL that was right at the Salton Sea. i didnt get any real good pictures of it either.. the camera battery was dying and i was lucky to get it to work plus i REALLY needed to get at least to Indio. anyway, got patched up and decided to stay in Indio. i wanted to camp at joshua tree but with the patch job i need to make sure the linkage is right and need sears and dealerships etc at my hand. so here i am. in the morning i am going to double check the linkage and then ride through Joshua tree and over to LA. and crash with more weasel friend that work at easyriders mag. i may get there early so.. anyplace i should stop by? i have no idea what or anything about LA. and dont tell me WCC. from there i think i will take the 1 up to san fran but i am seeing that many of my plans keep changing. that is life on the road. ok.. so. 1st leg done. i have Mexico. now i just need Canada. that was the longest 400 miles of my life. glad i did it. i was asked about pictures of the desert. i will post them when i am done. as well as all the others i take on shutterfly when i get done. butche


 let me see where did we leave our hero of the story last?

oh yes in Indio with a patch job on the shift linkage, a 6 pack of tall boys and a hell of a sun burn.

ok. it's been a couple of days so here are where we are at.

got up and ran to the dealership in indio. SUPER COOL girl there named Megan helped me out in a big way and just opened up her tool box for me. just when does that ever happen? spent a few minutes and replaced an allen head and i was good to go. gave her the sponsership beer huggie and a couple of domminincan cigars. if i meet here again i would thank her again and again. she was that cool and that nice. see sometimes things do work out. headed out to Joshua Tree for the Clark Griswald viewing and blasted for LA. I got to an area i dont really know the name of but i know where it is.. it is where all the windmills are.. i turned the corner to go up the hill and was hit with a headwind unlike anything i have ridden in in 25 years. as i was going up the hill the wind was tossing me a little and then it TOSSED the hell out of the bike. i couldn't keep it in a lane and took up more than my share. i didnt have anyone around me so i did what i always do and throttle through.... head down one hand on the apes and one one the tank tossin full throttle.... and arrived in Berdo... called a girl i was supposed to go see in pedro and told her i wouldn't make it. she asked if i felt the earthquake.. i asked when it happened.. and... yup.. When i got to LA.. you west coast boys got my arrival announcement. told ya.. watch out here come Butche!..LOL anyway headed up to san fernando and hooked up with Kit (original weasel) and we ran up to the Magazines office. got the penny tour and Clean Dean and us ran off to a bar. sat had a few drinks and blasted back. i just ran out of time in the south end. so next time i will skip Phoenix for more time in LA... too much to do. TC (kits ol' lady) has this damn lil stuffed monkey she drags along on trips and got me to take it as a riding mate. that way i wasnt the only one in every picture. so when you see the final product.. you'll know.

got up Wed and headed out to the PCH at Ventura. and took it up the coast. nice ride. pretty country.. i got a little pissy with all the traffic a few times. 25mph in a 45 pisses me off. NO ONE TOLD ME it was deals gap on the extended play. sheese. it was a nice ride but took an extra 3 hours to get to walnut creek. the county was beautiful. it really was. I got to see sea lions and met some very cute french girls that took my picture for me and keep telling me it would be warmer if i went south. (ahhh remeber kids.. i was in Mexico) i kept telling her i just got here from the desert. damn language barriers. the twisties were fun. long but fun. it was the tourtists that keep stopping and not getting off the highway that got me going. move it or i am runnin it over. then i got to big sur and pulled off for a smoke. looked up and saw the missing trees. and entire mountain range without a tree. i didnt feel like a smoke anymore. what if? i havent smoked anywhere but gas stations and hotel rooms since. got into the san fran area and started splitting lanes.. never done that on the road king. just dixie. not a big deal but.. there you go... force the issue and people dont want their car hit. the kinda move. plus.. i kept getting pulled ahead in road construction lines. MAN you cali guys are worshiped... LOL (side note... when i went through the wine area i stopped and got some gum)(if you saw sideways you'll get the joke) got to walnut creek and hung with the troops (Squirrel and Claydog) and told them i needed to touch Oregon as i am working on all 50 and it is one of two west of the ohio valley i need. they plan on leaving friday so it gave me a day to keep pounding miles. those two ol timers like to start at 5 and shut down at 1 with 3-400 miles a day easily instead of... 600 to get there. then again. the ol guys i know dont blast anymore.. and i am gettin that way. i want to enjoy the journey. much like this has been so far.

got up early and dealt with work and tried to get on here with Claydog's computer to no luck. packed up and headed out to the 5 north. beautiful country. before you get to the mountains in Redding it is much like kansas. VERY MUCH like kansas. when i got to the other side of Redding.. i was blown away and very excited. Riding in the mountains is one of my favorite things. the steep grades with turns in them slow me down because i really am not paying attention. I just always look around. but thats me. blast the flats and watch the hills. anyway. stopped off at Weed. yeah i know.. i dont even do that but still... i took the monkeys picture and did the tourist thing. got a bite and fired up to oregon.. that I ALMOST missed. and locked it up skidding about a quarter mile past the sign. that pist me off. so i backed down and set up the camera. (i have a pict from ever place i have been so for so why not) and then... stickered the state sign.. or maybe i didnt. i wont say. went in and rode around in the 55MPH speed limit for about 20 minutes (same same amount of time as Mexico) and blasted back stoppin in mt. shasta for fuel.. screw it.. i decided to make susanville or maybe reno and just hopped back on. That was the best decision i have ever made in my life. i got out around 4 local time and knew 200 miles in 4 hours (of light) where i was going would be close but decided to do it anyway. Highway 89 south to Susanville is the most perfect road i have ever been on in my life and i just kept ridding. i couldn't get off the bike. there were trees 20 stories tall that lined the road (good road too, no traffic a nice 70 -80 mph runner all thge way to slowing down to a 40 mph farting around for pictures)(WATCH FOR DEER)(Yes i saw them and they do pucker your ass) anyway. i just couldnt stop. i would slow and get the camera out but i have no idea if they look anything like what i saw. i am almost tempted to go do it again. yes it is that good. got to Susanville and stopped at a dive called TA for a beer and to put on my sweater as the sun was setting. headed on in to Reno and the sun set... in the back i could see the smog from the fires (and had smelled them off and on all day but never saw them) with the sun setting through it... and that... lead me here into Reno. so here i sit at the motel 6. even though there was a motel 9 in susansville (for those in the know) i couldnt stop. i should be at a craps table but this felt more important. i can play craps anytime. keeping this up is part of the ride.

I still have strugis and canada to do. i have to make the coperate decision if to ride across canada to MN or come back. i'll see when i get there like i have everything else. i am getting yelled at by a few friends that wanted me to stop. i dont have time to do everything i want but... it was told to me in LA... no one should tell you where to stop.. they should be telling you where you need to go.. one of the best things i ever heard in my life.. so.. to all that have given me ideas.. thank you. i may not have gotten to them this time but I WILL. metting the troops tomorrow with only 100 miles to do... i may have to fart around Reno... call me if someone is here and want to join in the party. 417-207-3825. or meet me at the elk creek WW. i'll give ya the ride sponsor hugger if i have any left and if i dont. i'll send ya one.

Butche

ok. so i was at Reno last stop. the guys left Walnut Creek later than they should have and i bummed around the casinos for a few hours. Played craps. bet a fiver on YO-11 for Tona and Cole and missed it by one roll. then took all (gamble $ that is 40$) i had for a final final and lost. just packed up and left reno at 55 mph in a 75 (so they could catch me maybe and i didnt have to sit and spend $. Got a place called the Silverado where the guys and Tammy caught me. then blasted 30 more miles for fallon. 60 miles total yesterday. it was a tough one. LOL. But I am hooked up with the guys. it is nice to hear the drone of other engines.

hung around and did laundry. bowled a couple of games next to the hotel. not too much happened. talked with squirrel about engines quite a bit. won 2 $ on video poker. jerry won 15.

this morning. we got up early. i woke up REAL early. squirrel was snoring to shake the windows at around 4 am and i had to get up and find my ear plugs.. trying to be quiet (i dont know why) and got maybe 45 minutes more sleep. i got the hollar at 5:30 "get up Goat" and squirrel and i sat and had coffee until jerry and tammy were ready. we all blasted at around 7 am on highway 50. America's Loneliest Road.

we took some pictures of all of us riding. the night before we had discussed ridding pictures and i made the comment that if the tires and wheels arent there then it was done in a garage with a box fan. you got to see the whole thing. that said, i was told they were gonna only take pictures of my boots and wheels. guess what.. i am riding with smart asses and that is one of the ones i got. we laughed that i could tape them to the bottom of the top half pictures i have LOL.

I keep getting more rations of shit from squirrel about smelling like a goat and riding like an orangoutang. i told him that is why they were called ape hangers. we stopped in Austin for breakfast and they had a antelope trophy. everyone made me kiss for the goat joke of course pictures went off like superbowl half time.

we blasted on. little stops when you could but there REALLY is nothing in the Great Basin. just desert. it is nice but i see why they call it the loneliest road. there is NOTHING. you think a lot. i mean you think more than you should. you have nothing else to do. we stopped at the border and squirrel got on a dollar slot i was about to play and won 60$. I decided it would be against my interest to play. had a beer instead and we all decided to stop half way between on the side of the road. the heat wears on the guys i guess. looked back at the basin and loaded back up for the next 50 miles. there is no traffic out there. there is NOTHING.

Landed in Delta Utah. sitting. having a beer. it was a warm one out there. hard to believe.. people went out to the middle of no where to build a road. i still can't understand why someone would want to live out here. i really cant. there is nothing.

Butche

squirrel on the road side and just having a beer and a smoke.

after further review last night. the cheerleader deal is out. "where you gonna pack her pom-poms butche?" good enough. that said up early and thought i;d toss a couple more in from yesterdays leg. also. if anyone can help. we are trying to take movies with cannon elphs to put on youtube. i have NO idea how to do it. so if anyone can help let me know. and i'll see what we can do. if it can be done. Butche




 got it. it's just a test run. but here it is. will try to get some more today. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEbOz470EX0 butche

got up REAL early this morning. Squirrel snores something fierce. if i have to i will sleep in the bathroom. LOL. was real tired this morning taking off out of Delta. first thing saw a deer. i am starting to hate deer. it was a chili ride into the mountains. it was a quick 75 mile leg to highway 6 and then a 130 leg. it was too cold for me to take my gloves off so i didnt get any pictures. Tammy did i think and if so i will post them later. All i can tell you is that we went from where the mountains were hundreds of miles part with a desert in between to mountains that could only fit a 2 lane in between. on up to Vernal for lunch. there it warmed up enough that i could take a few videos i will post on youtube.com. these are my first tries so be forgiving of the quality. We then headed up to the Flaming Gorge. hit some bad looking weather. I put the camera up. I didnt get many pictures today. Flaming Gorge is really beautiful and the closest thing i can compair it too is a cross between the grand canyon and the smokey mountains. I have a couple of shots i am including from our stops. one is of the mountain area that burned last year. we are in Rock Spring WY. tired. i will get better stuff tomorrow and on. there WILL be more. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEbOz470EX0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2WrBvW_qo4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tg-vcPv0LKs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejwyleDJnUU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMYLGG1Wn5I butche





 been off line for a while. will update all this when i get to the house one day at a time. i lost my charger for my laptop in sturgis. currently in Minot ND. did Sturgis then Canada. heading home. hitting MN to visit friends then back to MO. should land in springtown sunday. VERY tired. ready to go home. pictures to come: big horn mtns (lost rear breaks there) camp (Animal replaced breaks for me there)( some may know who he is he has been around for a while) Sturgis. North Dakota Canada and what ever i get on the way home. plenty of stories to post just need more power. Butche

td>

last time i ledt you in Rock Spring WY. That next morning it was mighty chilly. we decided to get a piece up the road and stop for coffee. 40 miles later i heard a scraping as i passed between two road construction barriers. we stopped in that town and filled up with gas and got a cup of coffee. my rear caliper was closed and the pad had wore down to the metal. we pryed it apart and just said. no rear brakes for today. Great. Off into the Big horn Mountains. We stopped a few times to take pictures. One stop was at Thermopolis. Home of the worlds largest mineral hot spring. impressive. The dome we have here was piped in about 105 years ago. they just add pipe to the top and as it cools it adds the lime to the dome. Squirrel told me it was just years of goat shit that i should worship it. lol. we continued on through the Big Horns stopping in Buffalo to gas up and mabe call Gillette to see if they had rooms. Tammy took the camera to get some video of squirrel and I riding but Squirrel didn't want to play too much so.. i have to look and see what we got later. We skipped the phone calls and road on into Gillette. Bad Move. Rooms there (remember this is 150 miles from Sturgis) were triple normal price. Motel 6 that I have trusted and gotten grief over was now at $145.00$ for a 60$ room. one night. even the roach motels with dirty sheets and hourly rates had shot to around $100. This pist off Squirrel real well and the next thing i heard was screw it butche we're going to the camp ground. Good Move. ($15 A night). a pit stop in Sundance for gas and a beer and a blast for Piedmont SD before the sun went down. we ran 80 across Interstate 90 and saw more officers that i had ever seen. we commented it was like bear fishing out the salmon during a spawn. They had people pulled over on both sides on the road and one car in every turn around. it was crazy. how fast do you have to be going to get pulled over (cars and bikes) in a 75 MPH speed limit? We hit the Elk Creek Steak house and made our calls over the noise of the dyno (i hate those things) (one day i will hear BOOM and laugh my ass off). Off up into camp and... set tent. we are one day early to camp. they are all glad to see us and we shot the shit til 2 am. Squirrel and I plan to hit the convention center, a strip joint and Deadwood tomorrow. Butche i added some of those videos. http://www.youtube.com/elbutche







Ok. so in my head it is Tuesday. We stayed at Uncle Don's Campground (605) 787-5888 off of Elk Creek Road. Great place. Uncle Don adopts everyone he meet. he really is a great guy. Cruises around in his golf cart and just chats with everyone. (Animal was his navigatior this year). 2 years ago fire nearly wiped him out. next time you go up. stay with the guy. its cheap and a fun place to be. it has history. we all wake up to take a look at my brakes. (remember I have no rears) there is a guy running around rally's for years named Animal. he rides an old pan with invaders. some may have met him in travels. i dont have tools and he does. i WAS going to run down to sears and get what i needed but for 30$ he would be done in 45 minutes. SOLD. see in every camp you have 15 mechanics that tell you "you're going it wrong" or "try this" etc. a 30 minute brake job turns into a 3 hour job. this was much easier and gave me a chance to shower and etc. this was mechanical situtation # 2. didnt get a picture of him because the camera was dead but.. there you are. we ran down to the American Legion breakfast. 6 bucks. hell of a deal. We all discussed meeting at the convention center. We wanted to see the changes Harley had made on the 08 models (there are quite a few) I liked most the changes so i would have done a little different but i am not controlled but government regs so. there you are. (i know some of you don't like the company but I do and that topic is for another day).(i only am concerned with road kings and glides. the rest of the bikes hold no interest to me. what can i say i am a FL guy. Always have been. Most impressive is we all know the "twinkie" has a heat problem in parade duty and mexcian crossings. waiting in line makes that thing run very hot. it needs the air flow. they have placed a control on the throttle that you roll forward and it causes the rear cylinder to stop firing to reduce heat. nice idea but i would have put it on the clutch side i think or made a thumb switch. i havent thought that out. we can see how it works. they added 6 gallon tanks making the top motor mount move to the front of the engine. i really didnt like that. it looked like a steering dampner gone wrong. the frame had be redone to put a slightly wider tire (180) on the rear. i am not a big tire guy but a 180 isnt really big now is it? remember this is for long distance riding and seeing what is left of my rear tire ( i wouldn't ride another 50 miles on it) more meat in the mountains would not be such a bad deal. We (Squirrel and I) decided not to wait and headed out to Shotgun Willies for a beer on the way to Deadwood. Got hit on by a striper named Vanessa (yeah right) and she was gonna come see me and Squirrel at Weasel Wednesday (again yeah right) but it made for a 2 day joke about who she was coming to see. (no, she didnt show.lol) drank our beer and headed to Deadwood via Nemo. nice ride. sweeping curves all at a nice 50 MPH so you can really look around. Got to Deadwood and went to the #10 for the traditional beer and for Squirrel to get his clay chip from the Golden. (while in there he lost a quick 60 bucks this time.) We headed back and stopped to get ice for the camp cooler. At the gas station we saw the rest of the crew and they were headed down to deadwood and then on to see the lights come on at Rushmore. we opted to not go and headed back to camp to just relax for a while. and then... the STORM HIT. Soupie's "Taj Ma Hal" fell in the rain and wind and since i had just got out of the shower i went out to try and save it. Squirrel and Louie told me the forget it it was already wet and my point was it was collecting water and anything i could do now would make it easier for them later in the dark. out i went. i must have looked like Giligan trying to save the skippers hut in a hurricane. i got drenched but was ok with it. he would have done it for me. They called from Deadwood after the first storm and asked the weather. the storm had hit there. they waited and headed back. Soupie knew had work to do. When they got there as i stated it was dark and stuff was drenched. they were thankful they had an air matress to get them off the ground for the evening and thanked me for trying. i got the tent up but it needed work and in a storm and the dark never having seen how it goes together.. i impressed a few. anyway.. cold and wet. i went to bed. the second wave hit and just twisted and turned my little tent around. making it hard to sleep... then i rolled over. Water came rushing in and then i was drenched again. I didnt have a flash light so i had to turn on my computer to see what was going on. i made best i could the lay on something dry and covered myself with what ever i could and just fought til morning. Soupie took me to the laundry mat and we dried everything... what a way to spend the night. then again. if you don't get rained on. you haven't been to Sturgis. Butche





OK.. it is now Weasel Wednesday. a holiday for those in the orange. a MAJOR HOLIDAY for those in orange in Sturgis. got up. did the laundry mat thing with Soupie. (note: Tman. i was gonna come by but i had planned to write down the info that night in Gillette. since we skipped it and i ran out of WiFi i was stuck. i will plan better next year. our presence was discussed.) Soooo i get my stuff dry and get back to camp. Soupie bought me breakfast for the tent save attempt. i dont think i did anything special but he appreciated it. friends can't beat them can ya? anyway, we got back and unloaded. the plan was for me and Squirrel to head in to Sturgis for the "shopping for those that can't get there... EARLY (kids you know and stuff) (I print t shirts and shit for a living. what do i need with a 20 $ t shirt?) anyway. he went in while me and Soup were dealing with the storms wetness and then when i got back i headed in. Parked and paid my 5$ just cause its easy and got my pin, then headed to the Spoke for the "ride in chopper show" put on by the easyrider mag. hmm get the kids a spoke saloon shirt? nah then they will just get into to trouble with the whole PC schools. sooo i just went. talked to "Clean Dean" for a sec. he was busy and in the middle of all this i get a call from "claydog" jerry. "Butche where the hell are you? we are on Main" and i know you are down here. i dropped the chop show. same stuff you always see.... I'd like to see something different and close to traditional and USED but you never will. hell Dixie with all her dents and scrapes.. at least it shows i ride the damn thing. a chopper that is made to look beat... is still a show boat in my book. paint it and scratch it.. and you dont care. that is the real thing. (yes i have old stories of guys spending the winter painting there bikes to that of nothing you have ever seen and slamming the forks into them as they roll out and just saying.. the first one hurts. get it over with.) ol timers. go figure. but its how i learned. so anyway. it is tradition for me to be on main on Wednesday and call my closest friend my younger brother Matt. "OK find the web cam sites. here i am" he hunts the cams and looks for me and takes a shot to save. it's fun for him and me. it's tradition and well... corny as it may be.. we enjoy it. and jerry and tammy and i do our shopping for the cheap shirts. then. lunch comes up.. PORK CHOP? hmm i have heard for years of the 8.50 and up.. damn. if you dont do it.. you miss it. just a little tent off Lazelle Street;. mine was 18 ounces and was the smallest. these thing are a day's meal. it is a hunk of pork that you can't beat. dear GOD it was good. and off to the Elk Creek Steakhouse I go. Weasels Wednesday starts at 2 pm. kinda.. it's when we show up. well i took the monkey. took video of me "spanking the monkey" (on youtube.com now) to push the joke and then there were boobs and a burn out, as tradition has it. just good times. beer laughs just another major Weasel Wednesday. Me and Doc outta CO messed with some Hamsters. Rick Fairless was with them and didnt want anything to do with us. i ribbed him a bit."c'mon it's a joke join the fun take the picture before i eat your yellow shirts."he was a bit cranky, but i understand. if i was him i would get sick of all the pestering and want to be left alone. that is why... i never wanted to be famous just a guy you wanted to meet and buy a beer or coffee for a bit of conversation. sad. fame will kill the good ones and and make some worse. then back to camp. nope no stripper. LOL Vanseea didn't love me or squirrel and the joke died. Crocket, Soupie and Squirrel finally met the dominos million dollar challenge of Louie "I can beat anyone" at camp and we just finished our week together that night. the morning ment i needed to pack good an head north. Canada. then to MN... i am missing home. my boy my dogs ....can i do it? tomorrow i get up... and...









Rise and SHINE... Butche's going to Canada. Got up neither early nor late. just up and started to pack up camp. Said good-byes and all that and took off for the last legs of the planned Tour. Took off to Silverfish and just headed North. In my travels i have noticed. just a little bit on the map sometimes is further than you think. ESPECIALLY when in North Dakota. Upon first entering the state there was not much to be said. Looked much like the badlands. hills and erosion. it was nice to be back riding and seeing the country first hand again. or so i though. Some where after Williston the world stopped and Kansas took over.. this time in a worse way than you'll find anywhere else. I thought HMY50 was a lonely road. By far this beat hwy 50. I rode up to Fortuna ND. it is in the northwest corner right next to Montana (so i could grab another state). THERE WAS NOTHING OUT THERE. well except for hay bails. Being from Missouri i am used to seeing a large number of hay bails usually with the cattle to depleat the bails. not here. i can not tell you what 200 miles of hay looks like. I never saw a person and maybe 3 pickups. if you looked around you could see forever. that was kinda neat.. except it looked the same to all horizons. Hay. Hay fields. no cattle to speak of. look at the pictures i added and you'll get the idea.. but as you look remember. 200 miles in is 200 miles out. (but that is for later). ok so i am running low on fuel and arrive to Foutuna. i just figured there would be a gas station there. i haddn't seen one for a very long while. i rode into town down the only street in town. there sat a very dead gas station. as in 40 years dead. old crank pumps (if you remember having to crank them to reset the gallons). Still yet i have learned if you are patient. you will find a bar and i did. it was like a scenne out of a Eastwood movie. No one for mile and a bar with only the bartender in it reading the paper. I walked in figuring i cold get a little info inside and have a beer. it was Bizzarre nice guy still, stange feeliing. I asked if the place ever gets hoppin and was told.. "it comes in spurts." (huh.. so like 5 people show up?) asked about the hay and cattle. 20 head for 2,000 acres seemed a little drastic. I was told they winter indoors and since the winters are so long they need a large amount of hay for them. made sence. Then i asked for the whammy.... you guys have a gas station around here anywhere? "yup.. the feed mill (only other building in town) sells gas. Hmmm. now i grew up around small farm towns. i know people that had dirt floors and people that didnt have indoor plumbing until 1977 but, i dont remember gas at the feed mill or i dont think i do. Still i was glad to get fuel. It was on the honor system. just pump your gas and go tell them the gallons you got. I forgot people used to be trusting... especially with the pay before you pump stuff. I gassed up and headed for Canada. As i rode up i thought about how long i had been on the road and that someone could have planted something on the bike.. (it crosses your mind) but i didn't know anyone that does that stuff anymore so it just dropped. As i got in line they (two border guards) were tearing apart a enclosed trailer and bikes. i sat for an hour or so for that truck and trailer. they went over it with a fine tooth comb. hhmmmmm that thought creeps back in a little but again.. why would someone plant something on you? the next camper rolled up and they got a little less inspection still i was just sitting on the bike and pacing and smoking. passing the time. i should have got out my ipod. THEN IT WAS MY TURN. i had quite a few people behind me and all i wanted was to go in and back out. I got the questions. Why are you here? "to do border to border" do you have your ID? "yes passport and DL" got any alcohol with you "yes 5 sturgis cans of beer" any tobacco? half a pack (like he didn't just see me smoke) no chew? "nope" where is your gun? "dont have one" no shot gun? "where would i put a shot gun? nope i dont have a gun" you came all this way without a gun? "well i have my knife if that matters." got any convictions? yea a dui over 10 years ago. anything else? no beating up on the wife? "nope just here to take a picture of the sign and leave" So let me get this right. all you want to do is take a picture of that sign and leave? "Yup" border to border." I'll hold your ID and when you get back you can have it back. "works for me" and off i go. got my picture and went to the US border side. now they had sat there and watched me go in and come back out. wouldn't you notice a stars and bars glitter helmet walking around a bike for an hour? What were you doing in Canada? "turning around." (side note: why does all the guards hate that answer its true and both mexico and canada watched me turn around) so you rode from missouri to turn around. "Yes-sir" OK. what did you buy in Canada? nuthin just took some pictures and left. Where have you been then? (i start in with the locations and places i have covered and sure i sounded like the long version of Alice's Resturant Massacre with the four part harmony.) and finished with where i stood. Wait here. as i waited i got a quick picture of myself on the bike. i was bored. i had been sitting for a very long time. he came back. What do you do for a living? "print and draw motorcycles and t shirts for groups, parties shops and the like. well then that explains all the pictures... off you go. now here is the rub. i found out in Minnesota from friends in Canada a DUI is a felony and they wont let you in until you prove you have rehabilitated yourself with proof. huh.. glad i didn't know that going it.. then i would have been nervous and got the glove search. i left back out through the nothing and planned to ride to Jamestown for the night and only made I made Minot (150 miles. felt like 1500) and was thankful to even find a room. it was the best nights sleep i had on the road. i was WORE out. making tomorrow a 600 mile day. dang. oh on another note... in ND there are these bug that i dont know what they were but when you hit them it is like hitting a mini water balloon. they pop and you are wet. it wasn't rain it was a bug.. that and bees at 80 in the corner of your nose hurt so bad you almost fall off the bike. yes that bad. Butche










Minot North Dakota. Nice place. Few available rooms. I found one and had to pay extra for it but, i was ok with that. i was exhausted. I felt lucky. I had gone to 3 places to be turned down every time or be offered the honeymoon suite at 175$ for a night. Ahhh no. It was the 2nd to last room they had. i was forever thankful and unpacked the bike as 3 women on bikes from Canada showed up to grab the last room. i went to bed quick and did my best to quick email people " i am alive" before the apple died. I lost/left the power cord in Sturgis and that was an issue. i fell asleep... wishing i had made Jamestown and could have, but it made no sense. I was tired and didn't have to push myself. it was a good and bad choice as you will see. I woke up to the Today Show. (I'm in love with Meredith Vierira, so what?) and the local weather... damn... Rain outside of town. Rain. Rain. Rain and 61 degrees. damn. this is gonna suck. Still i loaded up and saw the 3 girls loading there bikes as well. They packed a little different that i would have (in my book you never have extra bungie cords. especially if you are only trying to use a cargo net for 3 bags) We chatted and small talk. I guess they were going to catch the end of the rally. They asked about my trip and such. No biggie. I Blasted. 20 miles out of Minot, the rain started. Here is where i would place most ever cuss words i know and some words i create to explain that leg...I rode from Minot to St Cloud in the pouring . pissing, misting dumping rain. To top all that it was cold and i got that core shiver. The storm was traveling with me. What can i say, it was the worst leg of this trip. the one I wouldn't quit. Oh sure there were thoughts about stopping for the day but, I haven't stopped before and had places to be so i just kept the throttle open and hammered through Finally met my friends in St Paul at a bar. We hung out for everyone to get there (Pam who thought we had already left). Chatted for a while and Craig, Carol and I headed down to Hay Creek to a campground where the rest of the MN Weasels were already camping. Not much to write about camp. they were doing a ride the next day and i was heading home. Saturday I head out. ever get to a place where you just want to go home? i just rode. no pictures. just rode and got home. I spent all day Sunday trying to find myself. move vehicles around unpack, check on the shop, look at the books, and schedule for work this week. etc. 6499.6 miles. (you can;t watch it while riding only when stopped so you don;t go around the block to grab a bit more. that is cheating) 15 States: Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Minnesota, Iowa, and home to Missouri. 15 days and a few hours 3 countries 1 coast I am glad i did it and plan on doing it again next year. maybe go east. it was a good way for me to visit customers and meet new people and hang out with old friends. i learned a few things. I got to see some incredible places. Always trust a National Park. they take longer but are well worth the ride. Take time and ride the 2 lanes. that is where your pay offs are at. Intestates will get you there fast but you dont see anything. i am damn glad to be home. i am broke and need to get to work. (which was part of the purpose of the ride to promote work) i have left over can koozies i might sell when i get around to it but, i will post that in the "for sale" later. . Butche




Hope all you that followed enjoyed the story. It was good times.

thanks for reading